Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Turning Tide
by Hattzeh
Summary: This is a story set after the events of Arpeggio of Blue Steel. It focuses on a character of mine named Yuriko, and her experiences in this rapidly changing world, as well as other canon characters from the show. Special thanks to my friends Maxia and Wolfy. I wouldn't be doing this without them. Enjoy the story!
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue - Experiment**

Deep underground, through tunnels of metal and pristine white labs, two men were having a conversation. One man was taller than the other, but they were fairly similar, with matching white lab coats, and well-kept brown hair.

"So, I hear they finally managed to complete the experiment on that girl." Said the taller man, as he sat back on his chair.

"Took them long enough!" Exclaimed the other man, "I told them that eventually even one of _them_ would have to snap. How did it go?"

"It went perfectly according to plan, although she fell unconscious after the procedure. The team that are in there say she's just waking up now." He replied

"There's a camera feed, why don't we watch?" the other man said, smiling.

"Sounds good to me, let's see what 4 years of research managed to accomplish." He replied, grabbing a remote

The researcher pointed it at a nearby screen, which lit up and displayed a camera feed. The feed shown a heavily secured room, with walls of steel several inches thick. That was only the outside layer, though. Inside, there was more reinforced walling and electrical wiring. In the centre of this cell of a room was a glass tank, with wiring and machines covering its surface, except from one side, which you could see inside from. The tank was filled with a transparent liquid. It looked just like water, but the two men knew for sure it wasn't.

The men watching switched to a more close-up view of the tank, so that they could see the inside. Looking through the glass, the men could see the naked body of a girl, suspended in the liquid. She had long, light purple hair, which was faded to a point that made it almost look white in places. Her eyes were a piercing turquoise, and she had an almost blank expression. She seemed to be studying the room she was being held in, yet her expression gave barely anything away. She was pale-skinned and young-looking, yet looking at her body, she was far from normal. At her joints and other places around her body, there were metal plates with cyan-coloured lights on them, seemingly embedded into her flesh. There wasn't any visible scars, however. In fact, she looked completely unscathed.

One of the scientists in the room, holding a device of some kind, had an expression of confusion on her face. She had her device pointed at the glass chamber, known to the scientists as 'Secure Storage 001', and seemed to be measuring something. Her expression then shifted from one of confusion to one of shock and realisation, as she moved backwards and shouted something to another scientist at the scene. All the scientists moved back, as some began to quickly type into computers that were in the room.

It was at that moment that the trapped girl's expressionless face gave way to one that could only be described as furious. Although nothing could be heard, her mouth was wide open like she was screaming. Sparks flew from the surrounding machines as the lights flickered and died, leaving the room in pitch black. Then, out of the black, a couple of turquoise rings expanded around the room. The camera footage cut out, and an explosion could be heard throughout the whole facility.

"What the hell happened? That cell is supposed to make it impossible for her to escape!" One of the men watching yelled.

"We have no idea! Everything just...overloaded!" The other man shouted in disbelief.

The two men ran out of the room they were in, to the sound of crashes, gunfire and sirens wailing with the constant emergency voice reminding them, '450 has escaped. Repeat. 450 has escaped. All forces to engage at once. All other personnel are to evacuate'. The men disappeared into the rush of escaping scientists, making their way to the emergency exit that would take them to the surface.

A squad of soldiers, clad in the finest armour the military could provide, had reached the scene. The cell chamber was a mess of sparks, debris and bloody corpses. Some looked like they'd been sliced by something sharp, whilst others didn't even look human anymore, like they'd been crushed into a wall and reduced to a red mess. Advancing towards them from the centre of the the room was the previously confined girl, but she was no longer naked.

The girl wore black boots and socks, the latter of which reached up to her knees almost. Further up, she wore a red skirt with darker red crosses on it. Covering her body was a white shirt with a black, blazer-like top over that, with golden sewn lining. All of her clothes were torn in the places that had metal plates, allowing the metal to be seen whilst she was wearing clothes. In her hands were two identical swords, shaped like katanas. Along their length were glowing turquoise markings, but most of them were unable to be seen due to the fact that a layer of fresh blood coated their surface.

"12 contacts. Human. Armed. Engage." The strange girl said, in an expressionless voice.

The attacking men opened fire, and when the bullets were about to hit the girl, a shield of turquoise hexagons appeared in midair, deflecting their fire. The girl advances quickly, wasting no time as she slices into the attacking men, killing them through their armour. The remaining three ended up backed against a wall, and in response the murderous girl created another wall of hexagons. Instead of using it as a shield, she sent it flying at the men, pressing them against the wall. She then applied more pressure, shattering the mens' bodies into limp piles of flesh.

"Enemy eliminated." Said the girl, continuing into the facility.

As she progressed, she was met with both fleeing scientists and attacking men, who she both treated the same. Both scientists and military alike were spared no mercy, and slaughtered by the girl they had kept captive. Soon she reached the exit, where a crowd of people were waiting to escape. In less than a minute, there was none. She climbed the long staircase to the surface, where she was met by a squad of soldiers with RPGs. As they fired, she used the same wall as before to completely absorb the explosion, like it was nothing. Afterwards, she used the delay where the men were reloading to kill the soldiers one by one, until only a final one lay bleeding on the ground.

"Y-You're...a...monster, 450..." He said in a weak voice, staring up at her.

"My name is not 450." She replied, raising her katana.

The man yelled out in agony, before going limp from the sword that was impaled in his chest.

"My name is Yuriko."


	2. Fateful Meeting

**Chapter 2: Fateful Meeting**

Haruna was sitting by a quiet pathway that led to the seaside which was about a mile away. Even after all that had happened, she still enjoyed recording and learning new words and phrases from all of the humans that passed by. She was glad to have been allowed this break from her work with the rebellion. Makie was fine with Kirishima there, Iona and the other mental models were perfectly capable of commanding without her for a little while. She'd earned this short break. She yawns and leans back. Nobody had passed by in a while, which was strange.

Less than one mile away, standing atop a grassy hill which the sea could be seen from, was Yuriko. Her journey had been long, though she had met no further military resistance on her way. The only people she had met were civilians. In her mind, no different than the military. They were the enemy.

At last she could see the beach, and the sea stretching out in front of it. It could only be a matter of time before I-450 was fully operational once more. However, then she detected something unforeseen. Rather, someone unforeseen.

"1 contact. Fog. Assistance may be optimal." She says, in her usual almost machine-like voice.

After walking down the hill, she was only a short distance away from this new 'contact'. Walking down along the path that led her there, she approaches the Fog girl she had detected, and stands in front of her. Haruna looked at her with a slightly confused expression.

"Hello? Is there something you need?" She asks, looking at the unusual girl.

"You are Haruna, correct? You are of the Fog." Yuriko replies, "Your assistance would help with my task."

"You know who I am? What do you need assistance with?" Haruna asks, looking a little surprised.

"I must reclaim my ship from the humans that have captured it." She says, then points to a nearby port, "In there. Will you assist me?"

"Who...are you? You must be one of the Fog, but I don't have any record of a mental model that looks like you." Haruna asks, now even more confused.

"I am I-450 or Yuriko. Will you assist me?" Yuriko asks again, seemingly not caring about anything else.

This was strange. Haruna had now managed to find a record of a mental model for I-450, yet she looked different to the one standing in front of her now. What was more, according to the information, she had disappeared completely 4 years ago. It was like a ghost from the past had come back to life. Also, she could tell that Yuriko was still as she had always been, simply following the Admirality Code. It seemed silly, absolutely ridiculous to help her, however as Haruna looked at the girl there was just...something about her that made her want to help.

"Okay, I'll help you on one condition. Nobody is to be hurt." Haruna says, coming to a decision.

"I don't know why such a condition is necessary, however if it allows me to become fully operational again then I agree. I will take the lead, so follow me." Yuriko says, a little confused about the strange condition.

The two walk to a seemingly normal naval port, which looked empty. However, as Yuriko leads Haruna in further it was apparent that there was definitely something important inside. Guards were patrolling along corridors and security cameras were in place all around the interior of the bunker-like underground building they were in. As the two proceeded, sneaking past the security that was in place, something large came into view.

It was a submarine, docked securely in the centre of the facility. It was definitely a Fog ship, however it looked almost dead. There was no lighting in place, no colour, everything was a pale grey. The only thing that stood out was the writing 'I-450' on one side of the ship.

"We make a run for the ship and get out fast. Go." Says Yuriko, before she sprints towards the ship in plain sight.

Whilst Yuriko ran in and attracted all the fire, Haruna kept hidden. As she was known to be on the human side, she didn't want anyone thinking otherwise. Helping someone like this would damage her reputation with humanity. She crept along through the shadows, knocking any men that spotted her unconscious before they could say a word. To cover her entrance to the ship she grabs a flashbang grenade from one of the unconscious guards and throws it into the group that would have seen her enter the ship. She boards quickly to join Yuriko on deck, before hiding in the command room.

Suddenly, the ship lights up, with turquoise lines glowing along the hull as Yuriko's Klein Field surrounded the ship to protect her from damage. Meanwhile in the command room, Haruna had hacked into the main control system that was keeping Yuriko in place. A few seconds later the huge metal gate was opening, leading into open sea and the metal hooks that kept her in place were released. Her engine bursts into life, propelling the submarine out of the hangar it had been kept in and back into open sea. Alarms blared and bullets flew, but nothing stopped them as Yuriko sailed back into open water once more.

Yuriko walks into command room, a little smile visible on her usually expressionless face. Perhaps there was more in there already than just the Admirality Code. That was what Haruna was trying to believe.

"Thank you for assisting me with my escape, Haruna." She says, then asks, "Though why were you on land in the first place? It defies the Admirality Code."

"A lot has changed in the Fog recently." Haruna replies, "You need to know the state of the world, so I guess I'll tell you."

Haruna begins her explanation with the story of Iona. How she found a captain named Chihaya Gunzou, and with his help managed to defeat the Eastern Fleet around Japan.

"Iona believes that the Fog do not need the Admirality Code. Every ship that has engaged her has lost, and soon after agreed with Iona's thoughts. She even managed to persuade the previous Flagship, Kongou. Iona, along with the other mental models stationed around Japan are now the commanders of a group known as the Rebellion. We-I mean they aim to make peace with humanity and persuade the entire Fleet of their ideals."

After listening to Haruna's explanation, Yuriko looked both confused and shocked. She now had many questions, and intended to make Haruna answer them all.

"This is absurd...there is no reason to doubt the Admirality Code. We are weapons, that is all." She says, then seems to realise something.

"Haruna...if all mental models stationed around Japan are traitorous, does that mean you are too?"

Yuriko raises one of her blades slightly in preparation, and Haruna went pale in response. She knew what she ought to do. Make an escape and contact the rebellion. However as she looked at Yuriko, she felt something strange...something that prevented her from wanting to have to fight the girl. There had to be another way, there had to be some way to convince her of what was right! She took a deep breath, facing Yuriko.

"Forgive me if this fails...Iona, Kirishima, Makie...everyone..." She thought to herself

"I am not. My allegiance is with the Fleet, I-450." She says

Yuriko lowered her blade.


	3. The Rush

**Chapter 3: The Rush**

Yuriko and Haruna had set off in a northernly direction. This was Yuriko's plan of course. She had taken a stance of authority almost, and Haruna had no choice but to obey in order to keep up the facade that she was a member of the Fleet.

"We will be heading north, as that is where the nearest flagship is stationed. What about your ship Haruna?" Yuriko says.

"I was sunk and there just isn't enough nanomaterials to rebuild me." Haruna replies.

"Where is the closest nanomaterial stash?" Asked Yuriko.

"About 2 miles from here. At a Rebellion base-" Haruna stops herself before saying any more.

Yuriko considered her options. Haruna seemed to have plenty of knowledge of the rebellion, but without her ship she was useless to the fleet. They way she saw it, she had two options. Sail directly to the flagship for orders or steal the nanomaterials from the rebellion in order to fix Haruna.

"We will be taking a detour from our current course, then. Do you have the coordinates of this base?" She asks

"Yes, I do..." Replies Haruna, having no choice but to give her the coordinates.

They sailed north west, to where the rebellion base was and thought up a plan on the way there. They would pretend to be on their side, and then sneak off to steal the materials, before making an escape. However, Haruna had suggested the plan for a different reason altogether.

"I'll show her what it's like to be free from the Code, and live with emotion. She has to understand, she has to..." She thought as they sailed in to the naval port base.

As the submarine sailed in to dock, a voice could be heard coming from the base on a loudspeaker of some sort.

"Unidentified ship, please identify yourself!" The voice shouted.

"I am I-" Yuriko began, but was then cut off by Haruna.

"She's with me, Hyuuga!" She said

"Oh? Haruna? Weren't you supposed to be taking a break? Still recruiting whilst on holiday, now that's dedication...alright, bring your friend in!" Hyuuga said through the speaker, opening the gates.

The two sailed in to the base, docking at one of the stations before walking out and looking around. They had drawn in a few onlookers, as it was uncommon to see new recruits these days.

Looking around, Yuriko could see crates piled up in a corner in a large open space which had several doors leading off to other parts of the base. The crates were what she was looking for, nanomaterials.

Before Haruna could say anything or introduce anyone, Yuriko began to make her way to the crates, ignoring everything else. Haruna quickly followed, glad that nobody had come to greet them yet. It wasn't how she wanted it to go, but they would be grabbing the nanomaterials early. Yuriko approached the correct crate, scanning for the nanomaterials inside, which there were lots of. She then wrenched the door open with brute strength alone, despite the fact it was a steel crate. A blue steel crate, in fact.

"Am I really needed here? Why don't you just carry on with this and I'll go talk to the others?" Haruna asked

"Go ahead. I have this under control." Yuriko replied

Haruna turned to leave, but just as she was beginning to walk away she bumped into someone...someone who was right behind them. As Haruna regained her balance she gasped, seeing who it was.

"Iona! Um...uhh...I can explain this!" Said Haruna desperately.

"What are you doing? That girl is stealing our nanomaterials...and you're helping her?" Iona looked shocked as she said this.

"I have my reasons...this girl is only trying to help! Just because she's with the Fleet-" Haruna said quickly, immediately regretting her decision.

"She's with the fleet?" Iona said, shocked, "Haruna...are you even on our side anymore? Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know, Iona! It's just...a feeling...I want to help her! Please just let us go!" Haruna said, looking incredibly serious about this.

"I-I can't...she could be a threat to our whole rebellion. Do you want us to lose? Just keep her here and we'll help her. You don't need to follow her plans." Iona said.

Just then, Yuriko finished gathering up all the nanomaterials in the crate, and all of a sudden made a break for it back to her ship. Seeing this, Haruna quickly followed, ignoring the yelling behind her as people shouted for her to stop. She didn't stop. The two boarded the ship once more, and quickly got moving, sailing out of the port as fast as they could.

Iona had rushed up to the control room, where Hyuuga was standing, taking care of defence. Iona panted, out of breath as she stood next to her.

"Hyuuga...don't fire...let them go..." She said in between breaths.

"Let them go? They've got most of our nanomaterials in there, we can't!" Replied Hyuuga, readying the base's defences.

"Do it for me, Hyuuga!" Iona said in her most persuasive voice, standing right in front of Hyuuga and making full eye contact.

"N-no fair, don't give me those eyes! I can't refuse those eyes! Fine...but only because it's you, Iona..." Said Hyuuga, giving in and letting the ship escape.

Soon Yuriko and Haruna were out at sea, away from the land entirely. They had both stepped out onto the hull of the submarine to watch Haruna's ship rebuild. As flowing white nanomaterials flooded out of Yuriko, they met the sea and began to form something large. A large ship, Haruna's ship. It didn't take long for the large amount of material to rebuild the ship, and where there was one ship, now there was two.

"I failed in my mission..." Haruna thought to herself, "Why did I just blindly follow her? I'm not one of the Fleet, but she can't know that..."

"Excellent, now you may serve the Fleet once more...but Haruna, I think that you may be lying to me." Said Yuriko questioningly.

"Lying about what?" Asked Haruna, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.

"Are you really with the Fleet...or are you one of those Rebels?"

(Sorry for the long wait and relatively short chapter, I've been busy with a lot of things, mainly preparing for the exams this month. As such, I'll have to hold off on publishing another chapter until June. I hope you understand, and I'll make sure the next chapter's a great one! - Hattzeh)


	4. To Make Her Understand

**Chapter 4: To Make Her Understand**

"You are...not with the Fleet, are you? I noticed your odd behaviour earlier but decided to ignore it, but I can't any longer. Tell me. What side are you on?" Yuriko asked

After a few seconds of silence, Haruna looked Yuriko right in the eyes. She had been confused, she didn't know why she had done the things she had done. She didn't know why she had followed Yuriko this far. After all that thinking, she had finally come up with her answer. Her look was one of determination, of someone who had a goal.

"Yuriko, I am not with the Fleet! I won't let you go back to them either...you don't know what they're doing! Look at yourself, Yuriko, you're not a weapon, you're a person! You're my friend!" She said, leaving Yuriko stunned.

In Yuriko's head, she was divided. There was half of her that simply wanted to obey the Code, and destroy the traitor. However, there was another half, a half of her that she wanted to keep sealed away. One that heard the word 'friend', and made sense of it in a way the other half of her could not. She liked Haruna...didn't she? It was becoming clearer and clearer the more she thought about it, until the other part of her mind gained control.

"Stop it...stop saying those things. I will dispatch of you immediately and follow my orders!" She said, before leaping from her submarine to Haruna's newly formed ship.

Yuriko drew her blades, their sharp metal edges deadly to the touch. She aimed one slice to the left and to the right, crossing in an 'X' shape. To combat this, Haruna prepared herself with a shield of yellow hexagons which blocked the strike altogether. Determined to win this fight without harming Yuriko, Haruna kept her shield up to protect herself from the flurry of attacks that ensued.

"Please, Yuriko! I know somewhere in you there's a part that wants something more...I can help you understand, we all can! Think about it, all the times you've done something strange! There's more to you than just a Code!" Haruna shouted desperately.

"Shut up! I am a weapon, nothing more!" Yuriko replied, with a look in her eye that showed something was happening in her mind.

Haruna took this chance to surprise her, jumping out from her shield whilst Yuriko's mind was fighting itself and tackling her to the deck of the ship, pinning her down. Yuriko struggled against her grip, but Haruna kept her held down for dear life. Their heads were close, and Haruna kept eye contact the whole time.

"I was just like you a while back. I mindlessly obeyed the Admirality Code, thinking of myself as just a weapon. One day, I was defeated. I flew all the way to the land, and when I woke up, a human child had discovered me and taken me in to their home. She cared for me even though it wasn't needed, and treated me like a friend. Her name is Makie, and I later discovered she wasn't human at all. She wasn't human, yet even when she discovered what I am, she still cared for me. I found something, Yuriko. It helped me discover that I'm more than a weapon! You just need to find that thing too!"

Unable to stop herself from listening, Yuriko thought about the story whilst she was held there. Why did this child treat her like a friend? Why does she think she's not a weapon? None of this made sense to her, until the part of her mind that Haruna was trying to set free began to think of the answers. This was all too much for her, her head felt sore from the battle of control. She looked up at Haruna in pain, and in a desperate flash, shot Haruna away from her with a single one of her turquoise hexagons.

Haruna landed back on Yuriko's deck with a crash, and lay there for a few seconds before trying to sit up. When she tried, her eyes met with Yuriko's, who was standing in front of her. The look in her eyes was not normal. She looked maddened, confused, pained. When she spoke, her voice sounded off.

"I...am not...like you. I'm going to kill them all for what they did! Every one of them! I don't need friends! I only need the code!" She shouted, shaking slightly.

Before Haruna had a chance to speak up, all she could do was squeal in pain as both of Yuriko's blades were impaled into her arms. It was far from fatal for a mental model such as Haruna, but it still hurt like it would for anyone else. As Yuriko looked down at her, breathing heavily, her maddened gaze turned to a look of sadness, like she was sorry. However it was short-lived, as soon Haruna began to lose consciousness, her eyes slowly closing as her vision faded to black.

-3 hours later-

Haruna awoke to the sound of two voices. One of them she had heard before, it was Yuriko's. The other, she wasn't sure. When she raised her head to look, she saw Yuriko, as expected, and another person. She was tall and menacing, with long white hair that extended down to her shoulders. She looked slightly older than most mental models, but Haruna knew for sure that she was one. She wore long, elegant clothes, almost like what could be expected of a rich woman of the 19th century. As Haruna was just waking up she could only make out some of the words being spoken, and then saw Yuriko leave.

"You are sure it will be successful?" Yuriko had asked.

"Of course. After your mission is complete, return here for her." Came the reply.

"Understood." Yuriko said as she walked off, clearly finding it hard to speak clearly, or speak at all.

The unknown woman then turned her gaze to Haruna, then smiled a little, walking over to her. Haruna managed to stand up weakly in time to face the taller woman, who spoke first.

"It is good to see you awake, Haruna. Your 'friend' just had to go, but I granted her a reward for bringing you here...say, do you recognise me?"

"Who...are you?" Haruna asked, thinking hard. "You're not from around Japan, are you?"

"Correct. I come from further north. You may call me Makoa, and I am this area's new Flagship!" She said with a grin.

Haruna stared at her in shock and surprise, realising slowly what all this had meant. Before she could enter her combat mode, the woman who had identified herself as Makao got her first. Red tinted chains flew out from her hands, binding Haruna tightly and forcing her against the wall. She struggled and winced in pain, trying to escape, with no success.

"Now...I think I'll get to work..." Said Makoa, tracing a finger down Haruna's cheek, "I promised I-450 that I wouldn't harm you, and would instead perform a memory wipe...to return you to us. How does that sound, hm?"

Haruna gasped and shook her head in response, as that would be a worst-case scenario for her. She could just imagine. All those memories gone in an instant. No more friends, and no more Makie. She couldn't bear the thought of that.

"Good, good! I was thinking the same thing! After all, I've always wanted to have someone I could...what do humans call it again? Ah, yes...torture!" She said with a maniac giggle, revealing her true colours.

The chains suddenly tightened around Haruna's body, squeezing the life out of her painfully. She screamed out in pain, calling for help to anyone who could hear. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was going to help Yuriko and return to the Rebellion with her as a new friend! It couldn't end like this, could it?

Yuriko's mind was a mess. The worst it had ever been. She was at the tipping point, and the side that Haruna had triggered thought in was winning. She felt a new emotion, one that she had sealed away long ago with all the others. She was worried. Worried about Haruna, and what would happen to her. It was this worry that caused her to return to the Flagship around five minutes later, and hear a loud scream. Haruna's scream.

Yuriko rushed aboard, clutching her head from all the mental pain she was going through. At this point she was feeling physical pain from the mental pain. After walking down a long corridor, she peered into the room and saw something she would never be able to forget.

The scene of torture. Of the woman she had trusted, the woman that represented the Fleet, mercilessly crushing Haruna with her chains. This was her tipping point. She couldn't take it any longer.

"Can't go to the Rebellion...can't do it...but I can't...I can't..." She whispered to herself.

"I CAN'T BELONG TO THIS FLEET EITHER!"

Yuriko screamed her last sentence, causing Makao to release Haruna and turn to her in surprise.

"I-450, what are you-"

Yuriko's insane stare met with Makoa's eyes, before she ran towards her without any weapons out. She punched the flagship in the face over and over and over again, screaming with each punch as Makoa's face grew redder, than angry. With an insane burst of force, Yuriko flew off her and smashed against the wall of the ship, coughing up what seemed to be...blood.

She took her chance, not giving in to the pain as she scooped up Haruna in her arms and sprinted out of the room. Chains followed right behind her, smashing through the halls of the interior. None of this even fazed the maddened Yuriko slightly, as she tore right through a wall and jumped back onto her own deck with Haruna in her arms, grasped tightly. She had fallen unconscious just at the start of the incident, which was probably for her own good.

I-450 sailed off into empty sea soon after, with a crew of two. Yuriko, who was crouched in a corner and shaking, and Haruna, who was just waking up. Yuriko understood now. She understood, yet didn't. There was so much swimming around in her mind that even she knew somebody else was needed to fix it. One thing she knew for sure. Yuriko would never return to the Fleet again. She was on her own, and only had one person she could trust, and that was the only person that could help her fragile state now. The only person that could help her understand what it meant to be free of the Admirality Code, Haruna.


	5. A Friend's Advice

**Chapter 5: A Friend's Advice**

Haruna awoke staring at the ceiling. She was in a ship, however instead of lying on the cold metal floor, she was placed with care in a comfortable seat. She rubbed her head, wondering what was going on before her memory returned and she jumped up out of the seat, frantically looking around. There were red chain marks on her skin, but the worst of the damage had already been healed. She then noticed where she was.

"Yuriko's...?" She said to herself as she looked around.

It was then she saw Yuriko herself, who was sitting in the corner of the room, still. Haruna walked over to her, concerned considering what she remembered happening.

"Yuriko, are you okay? It's me, Haruna, I'm okay." She said, and placed a hand on her shoulder lightly.

Yuriko turned around to face her. Her face looked a little redder than usual, but the most unusual thing was the tears dripping down her face. This was a face full of emotion, a face full of relief, anger and confusion. Haruna quickly realised what must have happened whilst she had been unconscious.

"Yuriko...you came back for me? You're crying too..." Haruna said, then hugged the crying girl, "You let yourself feel, didn't you? For the first time..."

Yuriko spoke for the first time since the event, her voice shaky as more tears ran down her face.

"I did...when I saw you like that...there was something...I just couldn't..." Yuriko sobbed between her words.

"Shh...it's okay now..." Haruna said, tightening the hug, "How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure...I think I feel...relieved, but angry at...her..." Yuriko replied, wiping her tears away.

"You just need to get used to feelings...you'll become accustomed to them soon, okay? Is there anything I can do to help?" Haruna asked.

"Two things...can you answer two questions for me?" Yuriko said, looking up at Haruna.

"Of course, what are they?" Haruna replied.

"Where do I go now, a-and...how do I deal with...guilt?" Yuriko returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Haruna."

Haruna was a little surprised at first, but soon smiled at her and held her close to comfort her.

"You can come with me, back to the Rebelli-" Haruna started, but was cut off.

"I can't go there! Not after what I've done!" Shouted Yuriko, starting to tear up again. "You're working against the Fleet, and I'm fine with that...but after everything I've done to humans, and after everything humans have done to me...I can't help at a place that's working for them!"

"We're not working for humanity...we're working for peace between the Fog and humanity. You can come with us...and you can help us take down that rotten Flagship!" Haruna tried to persuade.

Yuriko was thinking about a lot of things, and it wasn't hard to notice. However, what wasn't easy to know was what she was thinking about. After almost a minute of silence, Yuriko made up her mind.

"You can go back to that base, but I can't go there, I'm sorry." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice as she stood up, breaking the hug.

"I suppose I can't force you..." Haruna replied, clearly sad about it too, "Just...remember that no matter what happens, you can call me and I'll be right there. After all, I'm your friend!"

"Friend? I have a...friend?" Yuriko looked right at her, "Yes...and I'm your friend too, so don't get hurt like that ever again, okay?"

Even Haruna was surprised at how the experience had changed Yuriko. She looked different, and even sounded different. Her face and voice both had clear emotion in them. She'd even accepted the human idea of having a friend.

With a final goodbye hug, Haruna left the room. Around a minute later, Yuriko watched the large ship that was her first friend sail away, with Haruna on deck and waving at her. As Yuriko waved back, she felt happy for the first time in her long life. It was all thanks to giving in to feelings that she'd experienced this. Even if it was the result of comfort from sadness, it had still allowed her to feel happy in the end.

However, she knew it wasn't the end, it was far from it.

-1 Day Later-

The battleship Haruna docked at the Rebellion base after a long journey. After hopping onto land, Haruna was greeted by something that made her smile. Makie ran over to her, dragging the teddy bear Kirishima behind her.

"Haruharu!" The girl shouted as she leapt into Haruna, practically tackle hugging her.

"Makie...it's so good to see you..." She smiled and hugged her.

"Where have you been all this time? I was really worried after Youtarou told me you went off with a strange girl, what happened?" Makie asked, looking up at her.

As she was about to answer, somebody else spoke first.

"It's good to have you back, Haruna. I'm glad you're unharmed." The voice said.

Haruna recognised the voice instantly, as it was Iona.

"Thanks, Iona. Everything worked out in the end, so thanks for keeping the others away for me." Haruna said, looking over at Iona.

"Well we did make a promise, and I'm glad we both kept it. We should discuss what happened out there with the others." The light-blue haired girl said.

"Of course...if you get everyone else to the meeting room, I'll bring Makie there." Haruna replied.

Iona nodded and headed off to bring the other mental models who were at the base to the meeting room. In the meantime, Haruna took Makie's hand to bring her to the meeting room.

"It's nice to have all of my friends back again!" Giggled Makie, looking at both Haruna and 'Youtarou'.

"Yeah, it's good to see you, Haruna." The teddy spoke up.

"You too, Youtarou." Said Haruna, holding back a little laughter.

"It's Kirishima!" She waved her free arm around in frustration, the other being held by Makie.

"I know, I know...it was your choice to stay like that, though. I'm glad you stayed to comfort Makie, thanks." Said Haruna, giving her a little smile.

Soon, everyone was sat in the small meeting room of the Rebellion base. At the head of the table was Iona and Gunzou, who were representing the crew of I-401. In other seats sat Takao, Hyuga, Kirishima and Makie. Haruna was stood up at the other end of the table.

The meeting began, and Haruna explained everything that had happened with Yuriko to the other mental models. The only parts that were left out were the parts she was unconscious or away for. After explaining everything, Haruna sat down next to Makie.

"So what you're saying is, that girl is no longer allied with anyone, but she's allowed herself to feel, and you're friends? Well...I think I speak for everyone when I say it's a relief you managed to get back safely. I was pretty worried when I heard you were helping her steal our stuff. You could have just asked, you know?" Kirishima said first.

"And that Flagship is gonna be a real pain to deal with! Why don't we just team up and blast it away already?" Takao suggested.

"We no longer have enough nanomaterials to fix anyone else, we can't just lead an assault on a Flagship that powerful." Iona replied.

"Well you think that, but I wanna hear what Gunzou thinks of it!" Takao said.

"I think Iona's right. We can't just charge in, we need to plan it out. We have the advantage here with this new potential comrade, don't we?" said Gunzou.

"I agree with that!" Takao quickly said.

"Didn't you disagree with it just a minute ago?" Iona said, looking at her.

"Of course not! You must be imagining things!" Takao replied, looking quite flustered.

"Riiiiiiight...but how do we know we can trust this Yuriko girl?" Asked Hyuga.

"Trust me, she's changed. When we need her, she'll be happy to help." Haruna concluded.

It was then that a loud alarm sounded through the base, and they all stood up in surprise.

"We're under attack!"


	6. Allies and a Stranger

**Chapter 6: Allies and a Stranger**

Sirens blared throughout the base as the inhabitants rushed to their battle stations to prepare for the incoming attack. The I-401 was on standby at the entrance along with Takao, Haruna and Kirishima. In the control room was Hyuga, Yuriko and Makie. The detected ships had just made it into visible range, and screens display to the mental models what they were up against.

On the horizon were around 20 Nagara class cruisers in formation, with the unmistakable look of a Fleet Flagship in command. Yuriko knew what it was right away and gritted her teeth, a furious look in her eyes. She began to sprint out of the room to get to her ship, but was stopped by a wall of orange. She turns to Hyuga, who was stopping her.

"I know that ship, I need to destroy her!" She said, barely keeping control of herself.

"Now I'm not sure what you're about to try and do, but it probably won't be beneficial to us. Trust me, the others will be fine against her. It's your job to stay here and help with the defences." Hyuga calmly replied.

"You've never fought her, you have no idea! If they go out to fight, they'll-"

"Iona and the others won't lose. We've taken care of a Flagship before, we can do it again. Nothing can beat Iona!~" Hyuga interrupted.

As Hyuga was saying this, the little girl that Yuriko now knew was Makie hugs her legs and looks up at her.

"You don't think Haruharu will lose, do you? She won't!"

After taking a deep breath, Yuriko manages to calm herself. She walks back over to the large window that looked over the sea outside, watching the colourful battleships emerge from the base.

"Alright, I'll believe in them...but if they need help, don't expect me to hang around here." Yuriko said.

"I suppose if it's necessary, but I don't have as much trust in a stranger." Hyuga replied, before getting to work setting up defences.

The island the base was located in seemed to almost spring to life, with turrets and missile silos appearing out of nowhere. Once the departing ships left, a shield of orange surrounded the island. Yuriko watched all this, seemingly quite impressed by Hyuga, who was orchestrating the transformation. They were now battle ready, and just in time, as the first wave of ships approached.

Meanwhile, the defending fleet was in position, 4 fog ships that would defend the base at any cost. The ships were all linked by comms to communicate tactics and report on the situation, with Iona as the leader of the small group. As the enemy ships sail into range, both sides open fire. They had dealt with invasions like this before, but on a smaller scale. This was their biggest defence yet.

The I-401 submerges, disappearing under the water and prepare to counter attack the first wave of attacks, a barrage of missiles from the enemy cruisers and constant cannon fire on the shield surrounding the base. 3 active decoys are launched from the submarine, the identical ships brought into existence to take some of the hits, whilst the rest could be dealt with by counter-missiles.

Meanwhile on the surface, Haruna and Kirishima were preparing the real attack. Their ships were lined one before the other, and slowly began to change and open up, metal connectors at the ready. The two ships soon join together to become one large vessel, their colours mixing. With their ships open like this, there was only one thing to do.

"Are you sure this is gonna work? It's crazy!" Takao remarks, getting in position.

"Trust me, it'll work...I hope." Haruna replies.

"You don't sound too sure to me! Screw it, just tell me when you're ready." Takao says.

The two joint ships begin charging their ultimate weapon, the Super-Graviton cannon. With Iona underneath protecting the exposed ships who's cores were opened up, a bright glow emanating from within. The enemy ships were advancing all at once, a huge line of red. With the cannon pointed at the furthest right ship, the plan begins to unfold.

The sea itself that the enemy vessel was sailing on split, creating a pathway of land between the ship and its attackers. The force of the gravity was keeping them from falling, and the bright glowing was almost at its maximum. It would only be a matter of seconds before the huge weapon would fire, and the single ship would go up in flames.

"Takao, now!" Kirishima shouts over the comms.

The glowing red ship that was Takao begins accelerating from the position it was in next to the joint Haruna-Kirishima ship. Takao was facing them, and speeding towards them from the right. It had been calculated perfectly.

Pure, bright, colourful energy erupts in a straight laser path towards the Nagara ship, practically tearing the vessel in two, causing it to explode instantly in a ball of flame. At the very same time, Takao impacts the side of the Graviton Cannon, causing the whole ship to slowly turn, and the laser to slowly move from the furthest right to the left, moving down everything in its path. The enemy ships blow up one by one, the red lights that danced across their hulls unable to be seen from the line of explosions. Once everything settled, the fleet of ships was no longer there.

Celebrations erupt over the comms, and those like Yuriko who were in the control room of the base breath a sigh of relief, Yuriko especially. She had never seen tactics like those before, and was both confused and in awe at them. It was something only a team of people like this could achieve.

However, they knew it wasn't over yet. The group of Iona, Takao, Haruna and Kirishima get back in formation, waiting to see what the command ship in charge would do now. What would Makoa do now?

Suddenly, her voice echoed across the comms.

"I didn't think you'd deal with my little fleet so easily, congratulations. However, do you really think you stand a chance against a Flagship like me? You even took away my subordinate in hid her away in that base of yours. Were you afraid of letting her loose?" Makoa's voice booms.

Yuriko grits her teeth and resists the urge to ignore the order to stay.

"I'll just deal with you four, then everyone inside!"

Missile pods across the surface of Makoa's ship open simultaneously, and a rain of missiles come down on the group. There was about 50 in total, and 10 of them were corrosive.

"Evade if you can, but prepare for impact!"

As the missiles impact the ships and surrounding water they bring down destruction on an unprecedented scale. The Klein Shields off all four ships were overloaded and sent offline, but they had managed to avoid serious damage. However, this was all according to Makoa's plan.

Suddenly her ship emerges from the smoke, only mere metres away from the others. Even from that far away, a grin was visible on the flagship's face as she stood atop her ship.

"You played right into my hands, fools!" She laughs.

Before anyone could even respond, a crackling lightning surrounds the Flagship, blue in colour and clearly dangerous. It spreads leaves the ship, then in an instant it spreads the energy through the seawater, causing a bright flash of light. All four mental models recoil in pain, seemingly stunned simultaneously by the energy. Makoa simply drifts by, stops for a few seconds, then continues towards the base.

The defences were mostly spent, and Makoa would arrive at the dock at any moment.

"I can't let this go on any longer, you know I have to go!" Yuriko turns to Hyuga.

"Fine...go. You need to deal with her." Hyuga gives in.

"With pleasure..." Yuriko quickly exits to the dock.

Right in front of her was the Flagship, the one she hated so much. She draws her blades.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want this one to get hurt, would you?" Makoa grins, stepping into view.

Yuriko's eyes lit up with rage. Makoa had Haruna in a tight grip.

"Let go of her!" She shouts.

"You're not the one making demands here...Yuriko. It seems I've found the source of your corruption!" Makoa grins, holding Haruna up by the neck.


End file.
